Almost 9 in 10 (88%) new build homeowners and three-quarters (76%) of UK adults want ‘snagging retention’, a system to withhold funds to housebuilders until they rectify faults.

The figures are from a national survey conducted by the HomeOwners Alliance and BLP Insurance, looking at new build homeowner satisfaction throughout the purchase and ownership experience. The poll was carried out by YouGov.

While new build home buyers were generally satisfied with some aspects of the sales process, just 54% felt the warranty was clearly explained and only 57% felt their warranty provider resolved disputes with the builder in the first two years of ownership, or put right any structural problems thereafter.

The poll found wide support for mandatory snagging retention with respondents saying it would:

• Incentivise builders to build right first-time, improving quality standards
• Hold builders to account when problems arise, with builders incentivised to fix problems

The HomeOwners Alliance has launched a campaign calling for Government to clamp down on developers of new build homes who leave buyers with an unacceptable litany of ‘snags’ and defects. The campaign comes after a report by the New Homes Review that found 91% of new homes had snags and defects and a report by the Home Builders Federation that showed the number of people who say they would not buy from the same builder again doubled last year.